Kreinik



Feb. 14, 1956 J. KREINIK 2,734,197

PLASTIC RAIN CAP COVER, MOLDED Filed June 26, 1955 INVENTOR. JZ-KkyKRsw/K United States P tent PLASTIC RAIN CAP COVER, MOLDED JerryKreinik, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to the United States of America asrepresented by the Secretary of the Navy Application June 26, 1953,Serial No. 364,526

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-187) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec.266) The present invention relates to protective covers employed inconnection with caps or other head coverings and more particularly tomolded one-piece waterproof cap coverings comprising transparent,elastic plastic material.

Since the start of World War II, attempts have been made to design anddevelop a satisfactory type of transparent rain cover that would betough, durable and transparent. Initially, sheet fabrics woven of rayon,acetate, silk and cotton coated with various waterproofing solutionswere used. However, such fabrics were low in tensile strength andexcessively perishable. Then too, the coatings proved unsatisfactoryunder weathering and aging tests.

With the development and production of thin films of vinyl copolymers,it was possible to stitch a plurality of panels of such water-resistantmaterial together to form a hat covering. The stitching process provedimpracticable because the film was punctured as the stitches were formedand the seams were unable to withstand the required strain in use. Meanswere devised for reinforcing the seams, such as, by doubling the edgesbefore sewing or by stitching the seams and then cementing a strip offilm tape over the seams, but such means resulted either in noappreciable increase in seam efficiency or costly production techniques.

Other protective covers composed of unsupported plastic film usingelastic to bind the edges were devised but were not adequate because theelastic shirred and puckered the entire cover. Theelectronic-seal-welding technique was employed to overcome thedisadvantages of sewing and stitching but this method did not prove toosatisfactory because snap fasteners or Zippers used to permit adjustmentfor proper fit of the coverings were susceptible of tearing stresses atthe point of installation.

To overcome the above disadvantages, a new and better method was devisedfor manufacturing water-proof cap coverings. An object of this inventionis to mold a onepiece protective water-repellent cap cover or other headcovering that is transparent.

Another object of the invention is to provide a waterproof protectivecap cover that possesses chemical andphysical stability, clarity,flexibility and toughness.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a protective coverfor a cap or other head covering that can be snugly placed on such capor other head covering, or removed therefrom, quickly and easily.

A further object of the invention is to provide a protective cover for acap or other head covering that is easily and inexpensively molded,light in weight and yet durable.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a one-piecetransparent protective covering for a cap whereby an insigne or otherdevice of rank, and the like, on said cap will be clearly visible at alltimes.

These and other objects of the invention and the various features anddetails of construction thereof are hereinafter more fully set forth anddescribed with reference Nice to the accompanying drawings in which likenumbers refer to like parts:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a uniform cap carrying an insigne onboth the body and visor thereof and provided with a protective covering,the latter being partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the protective covering shown on suchuniform cap in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section view, in elevation, of a mold used for moldinga protective covering.

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of another embodiment of a protectivecovering in position on a uniform cap carrying an insigne on the bodythereof.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the protective covering shown on suchuniform cap in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view of a portion of the protective covering taken alongline 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of theprotective covering taken along line 77 of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1 there is shown one type of uniform cap with a protectivecovering thereon, the combination being indicated by reference numeral11. Such uniform cap is of the usual construction and consists of acrown 13, side panels 15, a head-band portion 17, and a visor 19.Attached to the front portion of such uniform cap is an insigne 21,which together with the leaf pattern 23 decorating said visor 19, serveto indicate both rank and service branch of the wearer. The crown 13,side panels 15 and the head-band portion 17 are usually formed of fabricstitched together and stretched over a frame, not shown, providing theproper shape for said cap. Visor 19 is suitably attached to the framebeneath the headband portion 17. A pair of looped straps 25 provided onthe cap can be drawn apart and placed beneath the chin .of a wearer tohold said cap in place during gusty weather.

In order to protect the uniform cap from snow, rain, sleet, etc., andyet permit recognition of the wearers rank, a molded one-piecetransparent protective covering 27, as shown in Fig. 2, is provided.Said covering 27 comprises a circular crown portion 29, aninwardly-sloping side portion 31 of similar shape to side panels 15 ofcap 11, a circular head-band portion 33 and a visorshaped pocket section35. The outermost edges of headband portion 33 and visor pocket 35 arereinforced by two beads 37 separated by a small band 39 (see Fig. 7).

The protective covering 27 is easily fitted over a uniform cap. No slidefasteners or other means for fitting the cover snugly about the cap arenecessary because said cover is designed to be form-fitting when placedon the cap. The inherent properties of the materials used in molding thecover provide sufiicient elasticity to hold the cover to the cap snuglyand smartly.

Based on research and investigation and also on requirements that theprotective cover possess chemical and physical stability, clarity,flexibility and toughness, it was determined that the vinyl copolymersare best suited for molding protective head coverings. One qualitativeformula that yields the above desired qualities comprises Geon 121,di-iso-octyl phthalate, Paraplex G6l, calcium stearate, and mixedstearates-oleates.

In general, the protective cap covering can be made by using the slushmolding technique. A mold 41 is constructed by making a wax replica ofan assembled ofiicers cap, thereby faithfully reproducing the cap in allrespects with the exception that the underside surface of the visor insuch replica forms an angle of fortyfive degrees with the upper surface(see Fig. 3). The visor of. the cap frame actually has the lower surfaceparallel to the upper surface. This modification is necessary to permitthe run-off of excess material in molding. The wax model is thensuper-cooled and coated with a metallic silver under high vacuumconditions. Then the coated wax is immersed in a copper plating baththereby forming a copper mold around the wax mold. Once the copper moldis formed and set, the wax is melted out leaving a female mold. The moldis then cleaned and filled with a silver-plating solution to plate anadditional quantity of silver on the inside surface of the mold. Themold is again cleaned and polished. The beaded edges 37 on head-bandportion 33 and visor portion 35 are formed during molding operation inchannels 43 of mold 41.

Another embodiment of the novel protective cap cover is shown in Fig. 4in fitted position on a uniform cap; the details of said covering areshown more clearly in Figs. 5 and 6. Covering 45 comprises a circularcrown portion 47, an inwardly-sloping side portion 49, a circularhead-band portion 51 and a visor-shaped pocket section 53 similar to thecorresponding portions of covering 27. The outermost edges of head-bandportion 51 and visor section 53 are reinforced by a double bead 55.Also, a double bead 57 is formed at the junction of said head-bandportion and said visor section. Said double bead 57 permits removal ofsaid visor pocket 53 from head-band 51 (e. g. by cutting'along the loweredge of said double bead) without destroying the covering when worn overa cap not requiring protection of the visor from the elements.

The method and material employed in molding said covering 45 is similarto those employed for molding covering 27. By slight modification ofmold 41, the formation of the double bead can be easily accomplished.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

I claim:

1. A protective cap cover for visored caps comprising a transparent,elastic plastic material having a crown portion, an inwardly slopingside portion, a head-band portion and a visor portion of the generalshape of a visored cap, and a double bead of plastic materialcoextensive with one edge of said head-band and visor portions, andforming a juncture therebetween, said crown, side, head-band and visorportions and said double bead molded together to form a seamlessone-piece unit, whereby said visor portion can be severed from the coveralong the lower edge of said double bead without destroying the crownportion of said cover.

2. A protective cap cover for visored caps comprising a transparent,elastic plastic material having a crown portion, an inwardly slopingside portion, a head-band portion and a visor portion of the generalshape of a visored cap, wherein one edge of said head-band and visorportions are reinforced, and a double bead of plastic materialcoextensive with one edge of said head-band and visor portions, andforming a juncture therebetween, said crown, side, head-band and visorportions and said double bead molded together to form a seamlessonepiece unit, whereby said visor portion can be severed from the coveralong the lower edge of said double bead without destroying the crownportion of said cover.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS939,874 Stewart Nov. 9, 1909 1,418,354 Barnett et al June 6, 19222,344,927 Weikert Mar. 21, 1944 2,425,701 Lesser Aug. 12, 1947 2,657,839Kiwad Nov. 3, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 463,150 Great Britain Mar. 23, 1937180,388 Switzerland Jan. 2, 1936

